By Sarah Carroll
Calvin Harris has his finger on the pulse of what’s new and exciting in EDM, but it turns out he’s inspired by one beloved icon of the past.
“Prince is the one guy where, I guess, every one of his records had an effect on me and recall part of any of my records — my favorite parts — is basically a direct influence of him. It’s basically him. Like, any part that stands out in a way that only he could,” he told 97.1 AMP Radio’s Carson Daly.
The 32-year-old Scottish DJ also revealed he owns a collection of Prince memorabilia.
Related: Listen to Calvin Harris’ New Single Featuring Rihanna
“I’ve got ‘Purple Rain’ on purple vinyl. I’ve got one of his white guitars with the symbol all down the neck. I’m one of the biggest fans and honestly, there’s a lot of celebrity deaths and whatever, and I think we’ve become kind of immune to it, but that one? Man, I was sad for a while. It’s just really, really sad.”
Earlier today, Harris dropped his brand new single with Rihanna, “This Is What You Came For.” He discussed what it was like to team up again with his “We Found Love” collaborator.
“Well, I’ve had the track for a while. I’ve had the track since, maybe, November I tracked it down. I drove down to a house in Malibu when she was recording her album and I played it to her. Thank the lord, she was really into it and she wanted to do it. And then, yeah, eventually we recorded the vocal and it became iconic because that’s what she is.”
“This Is What You Came For” is the first song Harris has released since July and he’s got plenty more on the way.
“I have a few things that are going to come out this year. I felt like I was cheating last year because I had one single out and that’s not good enough. It felt like a year off and I don’t need a year off. So, this year I’m making up for it and I’ve got a lot more going on, generally, and this is the first thing to come out.”
In addition to preparing for a new album cycle and headlining at Coachella, Calvin also has a Las Vegas residency deal with Hakkasan, Omnia, and Wet Republic. It’s a grueling schedule that some can’t keep up with. Last month, Avicii announced he’s retiring from touring after struggling with some serious health problems.
“It’s a difficult situation, you know? Because for most of guys like me and him, we’ve been in our bedrooms from a very young age making music, not necessarily sitting there practicing DJing. We’re producers, like, we make music. So, with that comes a life of being, you know, something of a loner. I can identify with that,” Harris admitted.
“I think all that’s happened, with him, is that the balance wasn’t there. The management and the agent’s advice was poor and they sent him out and they just did it to death, to the extent of where he’s like, ‘I don’t want to do any of this anymore. I just want to do music 24/7.’ He’ll be back. Nobody should be sad about it. It’s a positive thing for him.”
Listen to the full interview on 97.1 AMP Radio.
